Yamaha R9.

I was going to use a dirt bike analogy, but that wouldn’t have been elitist enough.

 

To me, it's not so much about making the R6 a thing of the past, but instead moving the R9 and the new product direction / segment strategy to the foreground while moving the R6 into the dimly lit background.

No argument here. However, what I was trying to highlight was the deliberate investment in a net-new model name. This is a tens of millions type of branding exercise. Given the investment, this usually signals a category/market expansion action using a new model and product direction instead of full model change of an existing model. In short, Yamaha is trying a move into a new segment; not maintain its space in an existing one.

 

I guess I am just stuck in the past. When my favorite brand launches a new product, I expect it to go destroy the current competition on the track because the new bike is superior as my brand takes winning seriously.

This feels like to me a new replacement model that is still not going to be dominant, and still not competitive. Maybe Im wrong who knows. But in general... That is how it appears to me. In WSS, people stopped racing the R6 because it just fell behind to the other brands. Here comes 2017 R6 and just crushes the competition again. All the bikes out front are on the new R6 and just grabbing wins.... That has past too... Now its the Ducati that is just so fast and well-rounded bike that its the clear leader. Yamaha, what is your answer? Pawn Stars reference= "Best we can do is the R9". I hope im wrong, but if this is the replacement seems Yamaha has given up. Just my 2 cents.

But it feels like they launched this for a street bike rider that wants a sporty bike. I know I know.

 

In his book Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry , Bert Hopwood said he knew things were going tits up when he heard a Girling rep refer to shock absorbers as 'consumer disposables.'.

 

Maybe that's what the customers want? Don't take my word; here's a quote right from the horse's mouth:

"Importantly, Yamaha says the R9 is not a replacement for current models or a fill-in for the street-legal R6 that was phased out in 2020, but an all-new concept stemming from a shift in trends.

“When it came to supersports from the early 2000s, it was all about the latest and greatest specifications,” says Aaron Bast, senior motorcycle product planner at Yamaha Motor. “There was a lot of performance being sold that the customer wasn’t ever going to use on the street. Now, there are a lot more rational choices and decisions being made, even within the supersport category. This is a bike that was designed for twisty two-lane roads, but at the same time is fully track capable.”"

From here.

 

QQ: was there a specific objective / need that you were trying to address in buying this bike or did you just want a new bike to ride and the naked sport bike just looked good? Trying to understand how this bike might meet a need that an existing bike or other bike on the market won't, can't, doesn't meet. Thank you.

 

But you have to also think about all the spares one has to have to go racing and the Kramer parts come at a absolute premium vs the big 4 and quite honestly, eBay

 

Kramer parts are not expensive as compared to other motorcycle parts. Go do some comparison shopping. Also, a purpose built race bike will ALWAYS be cheaper to repair than a street-based bike on a "cost per crash" basis.

Back on topic, I think that the marketing materials for the R9 say everything they need to about who the bike is built for. It looks like a race team is going to have to develop the thing before the Beeb figures out if it's for them or not.

-T

 

I don't want to derail this thread anymore than usual... I started riding more upright bikes in 2009 (FZ1) when YCRS was founded and have really enjoyed them. Most of my time riding is coaching, and the more comfortable position works out well, for me. (I have probably have close to 100k track miles on FZ1s/MT10s) I had a 2021 GSXR1K as a coaching bike a couple of years ago and while l loved certain aspects of it, I am kinda over using it as a coaching bike. I rode a bunch of bikes before the STRS and decided on it because: 1) Fun 2) Easy to do a laptime 3) Cost 4) Won't have to modify it much.

Ken

 

You can pick up a full set of wheels for GSXR 600/750 for a 1/3 of the cost of a set of the Kramer Dymags from the secondary market.

 

Perfect. Thank you for that, Ken!

 

My last comment on this topic (maybe.. probably not) is that Yamaha removed the R6 from its model lineup. The R6 was a very focused racer that worked well on the street as well. Now, they've released the R9. I think arguably a very focused street bike that will work well on the track as well. I think we can all agree Yamaha isn't going to suddenly now also offer an updated R6 or track focused middleweight bike having just released the R9.

The R9 may very well be more suited to a majority of potential buyers' needs and wants than the R6 was. It could be priced slightly below what a 2025 R6 might cost. It can be easier to ride and more comfortable.

The subjective "better" is all anyone is arguing. For me, the R6 was an exceptional middleweight supersport bike that was meant to win supersport races and sell to racer wannabes for the street (not saying that in a bad way). If you use any analogy and say the reason is to make it easier, more comfortable, cheaper, etc... then it quite clearly takes away from it's focus to win in competition. That's all.

This model may be great for Yamaha, get more people on motorcycles, keep people happy with their motorcycle, etc.. but it is not an improvement (race focus wise) over the R6.

 

On the topic of the R9, I think it is going to be a great bike. In these times of the marketing department deciding what the overall platform is going to be, I think the balance is pretty good. Let the aftermarket figure it out as a racebike and I have no doubt that in NGSSP spec, it will be competitive in short time.

Ken

 

does yamaha still offer the R1 and R6 race only models?

 

Why or how? The bike roughly the same HP as the R6 with 50% more torque. It comes standard with a suite of technology enhancements that previously you had to buy a kit setup for that's over $2000 to get.

There's no publicly available data to state whether the chassis is as good or better than the R6. Personally, I don't think Yamaha would have gone through the trouble to create a entirely new frame if they didn't want to make enhancements over the MT09 chassis.

I guess I don't get the hate. Sure, winglets are ghey but it's price of admission these days.

 

Yes to the R1 and possibly to the R6 as your dealer would have to be able to order one.

 

This was $995 new in 1975, or $5822 today. I have one with about 1000 miles on it, still wearing OEM tires. Fight me on what gives most bang for the buck - this or a new GSXR.

Image and video is of one sold on BAT in 2023.

 

I resemble this remark.

 

As a company, any company, the first part of your statement is what defines a successful product. People want it. People buy it. The company makes money. Hooray.

As for it being an "improvement" over the R6 ... it doesn't matter, because it, and it's competitive set, aren't competing with it and the ghosts of supersport past. It's not a replacement for the R6; it's a challenger to the RS660, Daytona 660, etc.

 

Yes. I bought a brand new, leftover 2022 R6 Race earlier this year from a local dealer.

From what I know, for 2025 in the US, the R1 is continuing on as a street model. ROW it's going to the Race track only option.